Anhalter Hütte

The Anhalter Hütte is a Category I mountain hut of the German Alpine Club (Deutscher Alpenverein, DAV), owned and operated by the DAV's Sektion Oberer Neckar, based in Rottweil, Germany. It sits at 2,038 metres above sea level (2,042 m according to the hut's own information) in the Imster Ochsenalpe area below the north walls of the Heiterwand in the Lechtal Alps, in the Austrian federal state of Tyrol, northwest of the town of Imst. The hut is a protected monument and serves as a station on both the Adlerweg and the Nordalpenweg (Austrian long-distance trail 01). The hut was conceived in the early 20th century by the Sektion Anhalt of the DuOeAV, headquartered in Dessau, which sought a base for mountaineers. After unsuccessful searches in the Wetterstein and Karwendel ranges, the section turned to the then largely undeveloped eastern Lechtal Alps, reaching an agreement with the municipality of Imst. Construction was decided on 7 January 1911, the municipality provided 1,500 square fathoms of land free of charge, and the shell was completed by October of that year. The hut was ceremonially opened on 26 July 1912, the birthday of the Duchess of Anhalt, before some 700 guests, at a total cost of around 35,000 Marks. From the outset the hut was planned as a serviced refuge, and the section advertised for hut keepers as early as 1912. It recorded 453 overnight stays in 1913. Operations were suspended during the First World War and resumed in summer 1919. After the Second World War, the Alpine Club huts were annexed by the Allies and later transferred to the Austrian state and then to the Austrian Alpine Club (OeAV). When the OeAV returned rights and duties to the re-established former owner sections in 1954, the former central and east German sections no longer existed, as the DAV was not re-admitted in the GDR. In 1955 the DAV concluded a sublease with the Sektion Oberer Neckar for the administration of the Anhalter Hütte, and in 1972 the sublessees became the owners. The hut was extended in 1975 after the completion of the Hahntennjoch road improved access and increased demand. Further renovations followed in 1986 (windows), 1999 (new spring capture, escape routes), 2002 (new energy system) and 2003 (new wastewater disposal). For further renovation work the hut was closed at the end of 2018, renovated from 2019 to 2021, and reopened on 1 August 2021. The building is a two-storey structure on a rectangular plan, originally conceived as a central-corridor house, with two to four window axes and a bay at the south corner, covered by a saddle roof. It is built in mixed construction: the lower and ground floors are exposed stone masonry with struck mortar joints, while the upper and attic floors are log construction with projecting corner joints, and the gable fields are vertically boarded. The ground floor contains the guest room, extended to the east and north in the 1970s, with wall panelling and some furniture from the construction period preserved in the original south corner. The kitchen and ancillary rooms are also on the ground floor. The upper floor houses the sleeping quarters with beds and mattresses as well as a darkroom. Infrastructure is self-sufficient: drinking water comes from the hut's own spring, and energy is supplied by a solar-enhanced combined heat and power unit. No road or passenger/material cable car leads to the hut; supplies are brought in by helicopter at the start of the season and by backpack during the year. The shortest approach is from the Hahntennjoch (1,894 m) via the Steinjöchl (2,189 m) in about 1.5 hours on a well-marked mountain path. Ascents from Namlos or Bschlabs take about 3 hours each. Neighbouring huts include the Hanauer Hütte (3.5 hours), the Muttekopfhütte (4.5 hours) and the Heiterwandhütte (5 hours). Nearby peaks include the Tschachaun (2,334 m), the hut's local mountain, reachable in 45 minutes; the Namloser Wetterspitze (2,553 m, 3 hours, easy); and the Maldongrat (2,544 m, 1.

The Anhalter Hütte was initiated by the Sektion Anhalt of the DuOeAV, based in Dessau, which in 1906 began searching for a suitable site for its own mountain hut. After efforts in the Wetterstein and Karwendel ranges proved unsuccessful, the section turned to the then largely undeveloped eastern Lechtal Alps, where it quickly reached an agreement with the municipality of Imst. On 7 January 1911 the section's general assembly decided to build the hut. The municipality provided 1,500 square fathoms of building land free of charge, construction began the same year, and the shell was completed by October. On 26 July 1912, the birthday of the Duchess of Anhalt, around 700 guests attended the ceremonial opening. The construction cost approximately 35,000 Marks. The hut was planned from the start as a serviced refuge, and the section advertised for hut keepers in the DuOeAV notices as early as 1912. In 1913 the hut recorded 453 overnight stays. In August 1914, after an external utility building with a winter room had been erected at the beginning of the year, operations had to be suspended until the end of the First World War. The hut and its catering reopened in summer 1919; the section announced via the DuOeAV newsletter that bread had to be brought by guests themselves. The innkeepers were the same as before the war. Turnover among the hut keepers was low: from 1912 to 1970 there were only three married couples as operators. After the Second World War, the Alpine Club huts were annexed by the Allies; those on Austrian soil were later handed to the Austrian state and then to the Austrian Alpine Club (OeAV), which administered them. When in 1954 the OeAV transferred all rights and duties of the hut holdings to the re-established former owner sections, the former central and east German sections no longer existed, as the German Alpine Club (DAV) was not re-admitted in the GDR. In 1955 the DAV concluded a sublease with the Sektion Oberer Neckar for the administration of the Anhalter Hütte. In 1972 the former sublessees became the owners of the hut, after the Sektion Oberer Neckar had already carried out renovation work in previous years (new washrooms in 1964, roof renovation in 1967). In 1975 the hut was extended, after the completion of the Hahntennjoch road had improved accessibility and increasingly exhausted the hut's capacity. Further conversion and renovation measures followed in 1986 (windows), 1999 (new spring capture, escape routes), 2002 (new energy system) and 2003 (new wastewater disposal). For further renovation work the hut was closed at the end of 2018, renovated from 2019 to 2021, and reopened on 1 August 2021.

• 2021

  The hut reopens on 1 August after renovation from 2019 to 2021.

• 2018

  The hut is closed at the end of the year for further renovation.

• 2003

  New wastewater disposal system.

• 2002

  New energy system installed.

• 1999

  New spring capture and escape routes.

• 1986

  Window renovation.

• 1975

  The hut is extended after the Hahntennjoch road improves access.

• 1972

  The former sublessees become owners of the hut.

• 1967

  Roof renovation is carried out.

• 1964

  New washrooms are installed.

• 1955

  The DAV concludes a sublease with Sektion Oberer Neckar for administration of the hut.

• 1919

  The hut and its catering reopen in summer.

• 1914

  An external utility building with winter room is erected; in August operations are suspended due to World War I.

• 1913

  The hut records 453 overnight stays.

• 1912

  The hut is ceremonially opened on 26 July, the birthday of the Duchess of Anhalt, before around 700 guests; cost about 35,000 Marks.

• 1911

  On 7 January the section assembly decides to build the hut; construction begins and the shell is completed by October.

• 1906

  Sektion Anhalt des DuOeAV begins searching for a site for its own mountain hut.

A historic, protected Category I alpine refuge in the Lechtal Alps, operated by the German Alpine Club for hikers and mountaineers.

• Overnight accommodation

  Beds and mattresses in the upper floor sleeping quarters.

• Meals and drinks

  Catering for hikers in the guest room.

• Winter room

  An external utility building with winter room was erected in 1914.

1. 1Anhalter Hütte - Wikidatawikidata.org
2. 2Anhalter Hütte - Wikipedia (German)de.wikipedia.org